


The Wine on Her Lips

by thekatthatbarks



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Truth Jutsu lol but thats not a tag yet, Truth Spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22960600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekatthatbarks/pseuds/thekatthatbarks
Summary: “This is an interrogation jutsu and not just any – this is Yamanaka, isn’t it? Did Ino – why would – ““I didn’t tell her why I wanted it. But she said she trusted me and –”Shikamaru’s eyes widened as it clicked inside his head, but he still didn’t understand why. “You want me to use this on you? Sakura, why – ““You have some things you want to ask me, don’t you? This way I can’t lie, and you’ll know I’m telling you the truth.”
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Nara Shikamaru
Comments: 9
Kudos: 235





	The Wine on Her Lips

Shikamaru thought back to Sakura’s nervous air when she had asked him to come over after work when they’d had lunch earlier that day. He tried to shake off his trepidation about it as he opened the door to her apartment easily slipping through the chakra locks.

Sakura’s feet skidded around the corner with a wide smile when she heard the door close. “Shikamaru! Good, I just took the wine out of the fridge.”

Shikamaru couldn’t help his smile at seeing her, his heart clenching inside his chest as he took off his shoes. He raised an eyebrow at her. “Wine? Something special tonight? Did I forget an important date?” He joked but it wasn’t like he’d ever be capable of forgetting a moment with Sakura.

She chuckled and Shikamaru adored the soft pink that graced her cheeks. He closed the distance between them, his hands going to her hips. She put her hands on his chest and looked up at him with a coy smile. “No forgotten dates. But I _do_ have something special planned tonight.”

Shikamaru gave her a sweet kiss on her lips, smiling as he pulled away. He gave her a cheesy line, because they always made her giggle. “Oh, every night is special with you, Sakura.”

Like clockwork, she blushed and laughed, hitting his chest lightly and moving out of his arms. “You’re such a dork.”

He chuckled and followed her to the kitchen. Sakura grabbed the wine bottle and two glasses then turned back towards the hall. Shikamaru expected her to go the couch where they spent most of their evenings, but her feet kept walking until they were in her bedroom.

Sakura looked over her shoulder at him when he hesitated in the doorway. There was that nervous smile again. “You can come in, Shikamaru. I promise I don’t bite.” She paused and then shot him a wink. “Except when you ask me to.”

Shikamaru rolled his eyes fondly at her feeling his skin heat and stepped into the room. It wasn’t unusual for him to be in there, but it did feel a little out of nowhere. He moved to the bed – _not like there was anywhere else to sit_ – and leaned against the wall watching Sakura curiously.

Sakura hummed as she poured wine into the glasses and sat the bottle down on her side table. Shikamaru felt nerves start to settle themselves into the notches of his spine. Humming was a nervous habit of Sakura’s.

Sakura handed him a glass. “I thought we’d be more comfortable in here.”

Shikamaru took a sip from the glass, noticing Sakura had picked up his favorite – a red wine that wasn’t too sweet but far from dry. “Comfortable for…?”

Sakura set her own glass down on the side table and went to her dresser. She pulled out a thick book and brought it back to the bed, handing it to him before picking up her glass and climbing into the bed to sit beside him.

Shikamaru looked between her and the book on his lap. He set his glass on the table. “Sakura?”

Sakura bit her lip and opened the book for him, turning to a page in the middle. She met his eyes for the briefest second. “Read it.” Then, she took a long drink from her glass.

Shikamaru did and just grew more confused. “This is an interrogation jutsu and not just any – this is Yamanaka, isn’t it? Did Ino – why would – “

Sakura put a hand on his thigh, and he turned to look at her. “I didn’t tell her why I wanted it. But she said she trusted me and –”

Shikamaru’s eyes widened as it clicked inside his head, but he still didn’t understand _why_. “You want me to use this on you? Sakura, why – “

She raised an eyebrow at him. “You have some things you want to ask me, don’t you? This way I can’t lie, and you’ll know I’m telling you the truth.”

Shikamaru shifted against the pillow behind his back and tore his eyes away from her back to the book. _He had thought he was hiding it well._ He felt a heavy weight behind his ribs and like guilt was clawing up his throat. He had to swallow it down before he said, “Sakura, I – you don’t need to do this.”

Sakura put her glass next to his and took the book from his hands. She climbed into his lap, her thighs straddling his waist. She placed a finger under his chin and brought his head up to meet her eyes. Her smile was sad as she spoke, “Shikamaru, you look at me like you expect me to leave you at any moment.”

Shikamaru sighed and moved his head, closing his eyes as his chest constricted. “I’m sorry.”

Her voice was quiet. “I know. I’m to blame too. I should’ve showed you that I loved you more.”

“Sakura, no, that’s not – “ Shikamaru’s hands went to her legs and he leaned towards her, his head bowed. “It’s my problem. I don’t want you to think it’s your fault.”

She brought a hand up to cup his cheek and turned his face to hers. “It’s _our_ problem and I think this will help.”

Shikamaru searched her eyes and couldn’t make out anything besides determination. She wasn’t going to budge on this. He sighed and raised an eyebrow at her. “This is complete control, Sakura. You’ll have to answer anything and everything I ask you. You can’t fight it.”

Sakura nodded, not breaking eye contact. “I know. I trust you.”

“You’re nervous.”

She laughed and leaned back to sit on his thighs. “Well, _yeah_ , but I still want us to do this.”

Shikamaru hesitated, though, his eyes falling to the book she had put to the side of them. “I don’t want you to think I don’t trust you, Sakura. It’s not that I think you’ve been lying. I just – “

“Find it hard to believe or you don’t know how to ask for the answers you need. I know.”

Shikamaru let out a dry chuckle and dragged a hand down his face. _Had she always been able to read him that easily?_

A hand wrapped around his and Sakura’s voice calmed his racing heart. “Shikamaru, I think you need this. Let me do it for you.”

A moment passed between them with only the faint sounds from the street below slipping through the crack in the window. He finally relented, leaning forward to kiss her lips. Sakura kissed him back and he let himself enjoy it for a few seconds longer before breaking away.

He grabbed the book and opened it on the bed. Sakura flicked through the pages easily to find the jutsu again. He let go of her hand to bring his hands close and looked to her. “You’re sure?”

She nodded, biting her soft lip.

Shikamaru read the page a few more times before doing the hand signals and pressing two fingers against Sakura’s throat. Her breath caught and Shikamaru had to fight down some panic in the seconds it took for her to take a breath in. Her hand found his again as she gave him a nervous smile.

“Okay, try and tell me a lie. The sky is green, isn’t it?”

“No, the sky is blue,” Sakura told him instantly, her face twisting as her mouth didn’t obey her.

Shikamaru let out a breath to steady himself. _Well, they had already decided to do it. He needed to stop acting like a coward and get it over with._

He laid back against the pillows, finding her other hand between them and interlacing their fingers for something to ground him. Sakura leaned towards him to place a kiss at the corner of his mouth. She whispered, “Ask me anything, Shika.”

When she pulled back, she had the warmest expression on her face and Shikamaru’s heart skipped a beat. He smiled at her, feeling a little calmer. “Give me a second.”

He thought and decided to start off with something that couldn’t hurt too much if it went sideways for him. “We got together because of that one night when we had been drinking with everyone. Somewhere along the lines, we had too much and stumbled back to your apartment with our lips attached to each other.”

Sakura nodded, her smile turning bashful. Shikamaru couldn’t stop his smile, his thumbs stroking across her skin. He cleared his throat and asked, “If I hadn’t been there, would you have gone home with someone else?”

Sakura’s answer was soft and sure. “No.”

Shikamaru let out a breath. “Would you have slept with me sober?”

“Yes.” The truth fell from her lips and she added, “Shikamaru, if you had asked me to, I would’ve slept with you years ago.”

Shikamaru’s eyes widened at that and he cocked an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes.” Her cheeks reddened as she laughed. “I’ve been attracted to you since we were teenagers.”

Shikamaru let the following question roll off his tongue even as it tasted bitter. “But you were still waiting for Sasuke then?”

Sakura shrugged and leaned forward with a sly smile. “Doesn’t mean I couldn’t _appreciate_.”

Shikamaru hummed and let his ignorance sink into a blade. “Was any part of you still in love with Sasuke when we had sex that night?”

“No, Shikamaru I had gotten over him years before that.” A flash of hurt flickered across her eyes and he instantly regretted asking. She could see it in his face and told him, “Hey, don’t feel bad. This is the whole point of this.”

He nodded and had to stop looking at her, leaning his head back against the pillows to look up at her ceiling. “When did you stop being in love with him?”

“I was never in love with Sasuke.” Sakura’s voice was quiet, but it also sounded like the words were ripped involuntarily from her throat. His eyes went back to her and she looked almost as surprised as he felt.

“How were you never in love with him? You chased after him for nearly ten years.” Shikamaru hoped his voice didn’t sound accusing. But he had to know. He should’ve asked these questions over the span of their relationship instead of pushing her to the brink where they spilled across her bedsheets into a warm pool all at once.

“I had a crush on him.” Sakura looked to the side in thought as the jutsu crafted the words in her mouth. “But I got over it in the time he was gone. I still chased him. I still said I loved him, and I _do_. But it wasn’t romantically, and it did take me a while after the fact to figure that out. My feelings had changed, and I just felt this need to save him from himself. I thought I was in love with him, but I wasn’t.”

Shikamaru dropped her hands and brought them up to cover his face. He let out a breath. “Sakura, this feels wrong, forcing you to tell me all this.”

Her hands were on him, pulling his hands from his face so she could look at him. “Shikamaru, I _want_ to answer all your questions.”

“But – “

“I can’t lie, remember? I really do want to tell you anything you want to know.”

He met her eyes, only seeing affection there as he raised a hand to hold her face. She leaned into him, covering his hand with her own. Shikamaru felt his heart race, letting the question drag its way out of his mouth. “Are you with me because it’s easy?”

“Yes.” Her eyebrows pulled together, panic on her face as her fingers wrapped around his. “But what do you mean? Ask me differently. I don’t want you to misunderstand.”

“How is being with me easy, Sakura?”

“Because it’s easy to love you.” Sakura turned her head to press a kiss to his palm. Her voice grew soft as she talked. “I feel content with you. We work well together, and I think we suit each other. I trust you in so many ways; to love me, to take care of me, to have my back. I’ve always had this strange feeling that if I fell off a cliff, you’d figure out a way to catch me. Loving you is so easy.”

Something caught in his throat and he had to swallow it down. “I love you.”

She smiled, giving him a quick kiss before telling him, “Next question.”

“Can you see us being together in five years?”

“Yes.”

Shikamaru felt a smile playing on his lips, a lightness dancing behind his ribs. “Ten?”

“Yes.”

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him, and he asked with a chuckle, “Twenty?”

She nodded, a laugh threading itself in her answer, “Yes.” 

Shikamaru caught her lips, pulling her down to him. He kissed her slowly, a soft sigh escaping from her mouth into his. He wrapped his arms around her and held her closely, licking away the lingering wine left on her lips. She mumbled against his lips, “Ask me another question.”

“I don’t need to.” He smiled and kept kissing her, rolling her off him so he could press her into the mattress. 


End file.
